Polytheism

==Folk religions==
{{Main|Folk religion}}
{{Further|Saint|Angel|Folk Catholicism|Shamanism}}

The majority of so-called "[[folk religions]]" in the world today (distinguished from traditional [[ethnic religion]]s) are found in the [[Asia-Pacific|Asia-Pacific region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-folk/ |title=Folk Religionists |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2012-12-18 |website=Pew Forum |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=2021-03-31}}</ref> This fact conforms to the trend of the majority of polytheist religions being found outside the western world.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gries |first1=P. |last2=Su |first2=J. |last3= Schak |first3= D. |date=December 2012 |title=Toward the scientific study of polytheism: beyond forced-choice measures of religious belief |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2012.01683.x |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=623–637 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-5906.2012.01683.x |access-date=2021-03-31}}</ref>

Folk religions are often closely tied to [[animism]]. Animistic beliefs are found in historical and modern cultures. Folk beliefs are often labeled superstitions when they are present in [[monotheistic]] societies.<ref name="van Baaren">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/monotheism/The-spectrum-of-views-monotheisms-and-quasi-monotheisms |title=Monotheism |last=van Baaren |first=Theodorus P. |website=Britannica |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2021-04-12}}</ref> Folk religions often do not have organized authorities, also known as [[priesthoods]], or any formal [[sacred texts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-folk/ |title=Folk Religionists |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2012-12-18 |website=Pew Forum |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=2021-03-31}}</ref> They often coincide with other religions as well. [[Abrahamic monotheistic religions]], which dominate the western world, typically do not approve of practicing parts of multiple religions, but folk religions often overlap with others.<ref name="van Baaren"/> Followers of polytheistic religions do not often problematize following practices and beliefs from multiple religions.